Power Rangers X-Force (1x01): X-Force Energize, Part 1
by PrinceTrexus89
Summary: When the Earth is invaded by the deadly Midas Empire, Dr. Tommy Oliver morphs back into action to take them down, but even the abilities of a legendary Power Ranger may not be enough this time!


PLANET VEXLIA

At one time, the world of Vexlia had been filled with life. It was a peaceful planet, one that had not seen war in over a millennium. It was truly a Utopia, filled with clear waters and lush plant life. But that was before the day the sky went dark. The day the planet was invaded by strange, faceless creatures. The world that had once thrived with life and beauty now was desolate and smoking, like a barren wasteland. The peaceful Vexlian people had all been wiped out by these strange beings. Only one native of the planet remained, and even he was now on the ground, nearly knocking at death's door. He was called Drexx.

As Drexx lay defeated on the ground, he looked up at the six creatures that surrounded him. They did not appear to be organic. They stood very rigidly, and where their faces should've been, there was nothing but a strange, golden plating. A red gem emblazoned the foreheads of each of them.

"Why!?" Drexx asked weakly in his native Vexlian tongue. "Why are you doing this?"

They did not respond. The two in front of him stepped aside, and Drexx saw two figures walking toward him. One of them was rather bulky, had a nasty looking expression plastered across his face, and carried a large sword. The other was sleeker, with some sort of strange armor covering him.

"We're a peaceful people!" Drexx cried. "Why would you slaughter us like this? We haven't sought war in over a thousand years! What crime could we possibly have committed against you!?"

The sleek stranger chuckled wickedly. He spoke, and to Drexx's surprise, the stranger was speaking in the Vexlian language.

"You should feel honored," he said darkly. "Your world has been chosen to represent the glory of the mighty Midas Empire. If you are still alive, you must be the most powerful of your people. You would make a fine addition to my ranks."

"You can _not _be serious!" spat Drexx. "You invade my world, you slaughter my people, then you expect me to _join_ you?"

"I am being merciful by giving you a chance to live," growled the emperor. "Don't be a fool. If you refuse my offer, then you will die."

"At least I will be with my people," Drexx said. "I will _never_ join your monstrous cause!"

"Have it your way."

The Emperor turned and walked away from Drexx. He then said something to the faceless creatures, though Drexx did not recognize the language.

"Kill him."

As Emperor Midas headed back towards his ship, the bulky General Gilder followed suit behind him. Midas did not even flinch as he heard the dying screams of the Vexlian being finished off by his Koronoids.

"What a weakling!" Gilder laughed maliciously.

"Yes," Midas agreed. "He could've joined us and lived like a god, but he was a fool, just like all the others."

"No one can defy you, sire!" Gilder cheered, raising his sword in victory.

"This world was easy to conquer," said the emperor pensively. "Still... it almost felt _too_ easy. Many of the worlds we have seized have caused us little to no difficulty whatsoever."

"You are truly the most powerful in the universe, my Lord!" the general responded as they boarded the ship. Midas returned to his throne chair and picked up a small round holo-disc.

"Still," he said, "being able to win so easily all the time gets rather boring. So, I have been conducting a search to find a more challenging planet for us to take over. I found one, far from our jurisdiction, out in the North quadrant. It would truly expand our reign, open up the potential for the Empire to rule the entire universe!"

He pushed a button on the disc, and a hologram displaying a beautiful blue planet appeared. General Gilder examined the planet and grimaced.

"What makes this world so special?" he asked. "Is it a warrior race?"

"No," replied Emperor Midas. "It appears to be a peaceful planet, similar to this one."

"Child's play!" boasted Gilder.

"You would think that," replied the emperor. "Yet, many have tried to take over this world, and none have succeeded. I am intrigued at what could be preventing such a pitiful looking world to be conquered."

"So we have our heading then?" the general asked.

"Indeed," replied Midas. "Set a course for Earth."

X-FORCE! X-FORCE!

GO GO, POWER RANGERS! X-Force!

Look out, the X-Force is on its way

A new generation to save the day

Hey, evil forces stay away

The Power Rangers are here to stay

Rangers save the world

GO GO, X-FORCE!

Here come the Power Rangers! X-FORCE!

Here come the Power Rangers! X-FORCE!

Here come the Power Rangers! X-FORCE!

X-FORCE! X-FORCE! GO!

Here come the Power Rangers! X-FORCE!

Here come the Power Rangers! X-FORCE!

Here come the Power Rangers! X-FORCE!

X-FORCE! X-FORCE!

GO GO, POWER RANGERS! X-Force!

__**PLANET EARTH****  
****_ANGEL GROVE, CA_**

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon in the city of Angel Grove. The final bell had just rung at Angel Grove High School and many of the student body were now gathered in the gymnasium, watching the volleyball team practice. Ray Jennings and his classmate Josh Kyle sat in the bleachers, watching the team.

"You are hopeless," Ray laughed. "We both know you only come to the volleyball practices to check out the girls."

"That's not true!" Josh protested. "Besides, it's not like you aren't checking out the girls too! Look around, dude! Every guy is checking out the volleyball girls!"

Ray looked around and realized Josh was right; there were at least a dozen guys scattered throughout the gym, gawking in a daze at the volleyball players.

"I bet even the nerd up there is sneaking peeks over his computer!" Josh continued, pointing up towards the top of the bleachers behind them where a blonde, brainy looking kid with glasses appeared to be doing research on his laptop, a notebook next to him. "Seriously? Who does homework at volleyball practice?"

"Leave him alone, man," Ray laughed. "Besides, not everybody comes here just to gawk at the team."

"Oh yeah, dude," Josh snickered, "I forgot, you don't like the players, you like the _fans_!"

He pointed down to a pretty brown haired girl in the front row of the bleachers. She was loudly cheering for one of the players.

"Go, Amy!" she was cheering as the blonde player in the back row landed a perfect spike. "Nice shot!"

Ray's face turned red as he turned back to the game.

"Seriously, bro, how long are you going to pine after Kelly before you can work up the nerve to ask her out? I mean, you two are perfect for each other! You love karate, her dad's a karate _master_, it's perfect! Besides, isn't her dad, like, your hero or something?"

"He's a great teacher," Ray said defiantly, before adding, "and I'm not pining!"

"Call it what you want, dude," Josh said with a shrug.

"What about you and Amy?" asked Ray, pointing to the blonde volleyball player. "I know you like her!"

"Who _doesn't_ like her?" Josh replied. "Everyone knows she's the hottest girl in school!"

"Amy, look out!" cried Kelly as a fast serve came flying towards Amy. Before she could plan out a service return, Amy quickly threw out her arms and blocked the serve. The ball ricocheted off her arms and went flying towards the top of the bleachers, hitting the boy with the laptop in the head. He fell over sideways, the laptop fell down to the next row. Josh started laughing like a hyena, before Ray hit him playfully in the shoulder. Kelly started up the bleachers towards the kid.

"Owwww!" he cried, readjusting his glasses and searching for his laptop. "What the heck was that for!?"

"Sorry!" Amy called up. "Are you okay?"

He gave a sarcastic thumbs up and continued to search for his computer. Kelly, finally reaching his section of the bleachers, stopped at the row in front of the boy and picked up the fallen laptop.

"Here," she said kindly, handing it to him. "Sorry about that. Is it okay?"

He examined the computer and breathed a sigh of relief. "It doesn't appear to have sustained any damage."

"Are _you_ okay?" she asked, trying to check his head for bruises or cuts. He pulled away.

"I'm fine," he said.

"I'm Kelly," she said, holding out her hand. He didn't take it.

"I know who you are," he said flatly.

"You're in my history class, aren't you?" Kelly continued. "It's Matt, right?"

"Mark," he corrected, handing her the volleyball.

"_Mark_," she repeated as she took the ball. "It was nice to meet you. Sorry about my friend."

"Hey, Kelly!" Amy called up to her. "You gonna give us the ball or are you just going to stand there hugging it all day?"

"Right, sorry!" Kelly called back, tossing the ball to Amy.

"Hey, Chloe, what kind of serve was that!?" Amy demanded as she served the ball and the team resumed their practice.

Kelly started back down the stairs, but stopped when she saw Josh laughing.

"What's so funny, Josh?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said quickly, stifling the uncontrollable fit of laughter overtaking him. "Just admiring the ability of geeks in a strange, new environment to catch stray volleyballs with their head!"

He doubled over laughing, and although Ray kept trying to settle him down, he couldn't help but smile a little himself. Kelly, however, was not amused.

"You guys are such jerks!" she snapped, storming back down the bleachers.

Josh continued laughing hysterically, but Ray watched Kelly, feeling bad for the mistaken impression he had just given her.

General Gilder marched toward the throne room of the Emperor's ship.

"Sire," he said, bowing to his master. "We are entering the Earth's orbit now."

"Excellent," Midas said coolly. "Take the Koronoids and inspect the planet. Get it ready for cleansing."

"Yes, my Lord!" Gilder cried, bowing again

To any ordinary onlooker in Angel Grove, the house located at 93 Reefside Avenue was no different than any other house. But underneath the house was a special facility, built by the owner. The facility was a lab, monitoring the Earth, ready to alert the creator at the first sign of trouble. At first, the creator's wife had not approved of the existence of the lab, but now she helped support her husband. Upon spotting the mysterious craft entering the Earth's orbit, the lab's alarm sounded.

"Be careful out there," the wife told her husband as he opened the nearby glass case.

"I will."

"I _mean_ it, dear," she insisted. "Come home safely!"

The citizens of Angel Grove had not seen monster attacks for years. They had not seen anything out of the ordinary for years. In fact, most of their children had grown up believing that the stories of the legendary Power Rangers protecting the city from giant monsters and killer robots and villains and baddies of all kind were just that: stories. Angel Grove had lived in peace for a long time, and the Power Rangers had not been seen in many years. So, of course nobody knew what to expect when a giant golden beam of light collided with the gazebo in the downtown square. General Gilder appeared and observed the city.

"What a cluttered area!" he grumbled. "This world will definitely be improved after it has been cleansed!"

He caught a glimpse of the various crowds of people staring at him. He pointed out one random man and quickly grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt.

"You!" he cried. "How strong are you? Where are the warriors of this world!?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, man!" the citizen cried in fear.

"How has a puny race like you survived?" Gilder growled, raising his sword. "You're useless, weakling!"

He tossed the scared man to the ground, who quickly jumped to his feet and ran away. Many of the people nearby began to scream in panic and run.

"Cleanse this city!" Gilder ordered the Koronoids. "They shall be the first to feel the Empire's mighty wrath!"

The red gems on the Koronoids' heads began to glow and lasers began to fire out of them in every direction, blasting nearby trees, buildings, and cars.

"Some challenge!" scoffed Gilder. "Proceed onward!"

But before the Koronoids could take another step, something flew into one of them and knocked it to the ground. Gilder watched as the Koronoids flanked around something, or someone, but one by one, each Koronoid was taken down with little effort. A man stood in the middle of the commotion. He looked to be an ordinary human man.

_He must be a warrior to take down the Koronoids this easily_, Gilder thought.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"I'm the welcoming party," the man replied. "Let me give you a greeting."

"Destroy him!" shouted Gilder. The human jumped back as the Koronoids rose back to their feet and began to attack again. But little did Gilder know that he had not picked a fight with an ordinary man. This man had dedicated years of his life to protecting the Earth. This man was Tommy Oliver, one of the legendary Power Rangers.

"If that's the best you've got," said Tommy, sending the Koronoids flying back to the ground with a series of punches and kicks, "then I'm afraid you're sorely outclassed."

"Your overconfidence will be your undoing, human!" growled Gilder. The Koronoids rose back to their feet yet again and began firing their lasers at Tommy, who dodged and jumped and flipped out of the way.

"Man, you guys just don't quit, do you?" Tommy exclaimed to the Koronoids. He pulled out a golden device. "No choice, then... _Dino Thunder, Power Up!_"

Gilder watched in shock as Tommy's body began to transform in front of them.

"What is this!?" he cried. The light cleared, and where the human had been now stood a warrior dressed in black. Golden armor plated his shoulders and arms. A black and gold helmet covered his face.

"_Brachio Power!_" cried Tommy. "_Dino Thunder, Black Ranger!_"

The Koronoids again fired their lasers at Tommy, but this time he was ready. He jumped high into the air and dodged every single blast with ease. He pulled out an oddly shaped weapon and when he landed on the ground, he cried, "_Brachio Staff, Energy Orb!_"

A giant ball of energy flew from the end of his weapon into a large group of Koronoids, knocking them to the ground.

"Yeah!" cried Tommy victoriously, but no sooner had he celebrated than the Koronoids yet again rose. "What!? Man, what is _with_ these guys!?"

The Koronoids fired again at Tommy, but he blocked their blasts with his Brachio Staff.

"I need more power!" he cried, pulling out the golden device again. "_It's Morphin' Time! Zeo Ranger Five, Red!_"

Before the Koronoids could react, Tommy was again surrounded with light, and when it cleared, he had changed again. Now he was clad in red, an intricate gold design around his collar, a red helmet with a star in the middle covering his head.

"Come on!" Tommy cried, drawing a sword and taking on the Koronoids. Gilder also drew his sword and rushed at Tommy, who was clearly outnumbered.

"_Tommy, be careful!_" came his wife's voice from the commlink inside his helmet.

"Every time I take these guys down, they just keep getting back up!" Tommy exclaimed as Gilder sent him flying backwards with a kick. Quickly, Tommy jumped back to his feet, trying as hard as he could to hide his growing fatigue from his enemies.

"Okay, that's enough for today, girls!" called the volleyball coach. The team scattered, most of them heading back to the girls' locker room. Amy headed over to Kelly, who handed her a towel and a bottle of water.

"Excellent job, as always," Kelly said.

"Thanks," Amy said, taking a drink from the water bottle. "I hope I didn't hurt that kid up there."

She gestured to Mark, who was gathering up his laptop and books. He looked at his phone and shook his head in annoyance.

"He's okay," replied Kelly.

"So did I see you talking to Ray?" Amy said playfully.

"Shut up," she replied, giving her best friend a little shove. "He's a jerk anyways. He and his buddy from the basketball team over there were just laughing at that poor boy for no reason at all."

"Come on, give him a chance, Kelly," said Amy, wiping her brow with the towel and taking another sip of water. "You've had a crush on him for, like, forever!"

"You just want me to give him a chance 'cause you think Josh is cute!" Kelly shot back.

"Shut up! I do not!" Amy said. "If you won't say something, I will."

Before Kelly could stop her, Amy strutted over to Ray and Josh, who had just reached the gym door.

"So," she said confidently. "You boys, me, and Kelly. How about it?"

"Uhhhh..." Ray said nervously, unsure what to to say.

"I say let's do it!" Josh said excitedly. Amy slapped him across the back of the head.

"You don't even know what I'm talking about, pig!" she retorted.

"So, what _are_ you talking about?" asked Ray.

"Kelly and I are leaving from here to grab a bite to eat," Amy explained, "and we were wondering if you jerks wanted to come along with us."

"Jerks?" laughed Josh.

"I didn't have anything to do with-" Ray started, but Amy stopped him.

"Shut up. So you guys in or what?"

They both nodded and she turned quickly, flipping her hair right into Josh's face.

"That was weird," pondered Ray as Amy returned to Kelly.

"Dude, she is _so_ into me!" Josh said dreamily, sniffing the air, hoping for another whiff of Amy's scent.

"Dream on, man," Ray laughed, dragging Josh out of the gym.

Amy laughed. "Basketball boy needs to take a cold shower."

"You're wicked!" Kelly giggled, picking up her bookbag and purse.

"Mind if we take your car?" asked Amy. "I'm kind of low on gas right now."

Kelly nodded. "But you have to change out of those sweaty clothes first. I don't want you stinking up my car.

Amy ran to the locker room as Kelly started towards the outside door. She stopped when she noticed Mark still sitting on the bleachers, texting furiously on his phone. He appeared to be very frustrated.

"Hey, are you okay?" Kelly asked.

"I already said I'm fine," Mark replied, clearly annoyed. "Nothing you have to concern yourself with."

"You don't have to be rude," Kelly said, pouting. "I was just asking."

She started to leave.

"Wait!" Mark said. "I'm sorry, I'm just frustrated right now. My mom just texted me and said she was working late, and that I have to find a ride home. I called my friend Red, but he's kind of a flake and won't answer his phone."

"I'm surprised he wasn't here watching the team," Kelly teased. "I know he's just as into gawking at the girls as every other boy here."

She winked at him. He blushed.

"No, that's not why I-"

Kelly laughed out loud. "I'm messing with you!" she exclaimed. "I know you're not that kind of guy. You seem like a nice person."

"Thanks," he said sarcastically. "Kick me when I'm down."

"I mean, you seem gentle," Kelly said warmly. "You seem like a guy who respects women. Treats them like a gem, not like a piece of meat like half the guys here. That's admirable."

"Well, I'll let you get back to your friends," said Mark. "I need to find a ride."

"I can give you a ride home," said Kelly.

"I don't want to impose-"

"You're not," she said with a smile. "I'm getting some food with my friends, but you're more than welcome to come if you want. There's space in my car for all of us."

"I can't-" he tried again.

"I'm not taking no for an answer," she teased, grabbing his backpack. "Come on!"

With a sigh, he followed.

Tommy could feel himself getting more and more exhausted with every round of strikes. He furiously slashed at the Koronoids, but they just kept getting back up over and over again. Worse, every time he managed to down the Koronoids, Gilder would charge and catch him off guard. Then, the Koronoids would be up again.

"This is going nowhere, fast!" Tommy panted, once again pulling out the gold morpher. "_It's Morphin' Time! Tigerzord! White Ranger Power!_"

The light flooded his body again and he transformed. Now he wore white with black and gold armor. A golden tiger design emblazoned his white helmet. He held a sword with a golden tiger head on the end.

"Let's do it, Saba!" Tommy said to his sword, slashing at the Koronoids. When Gilder charged, Tommy gracefully backflipped over the general's head.

"You're causing a lot more trouble than you're worth," growled Gilder, swinging his sword angrily. Tommy dodged, and thrust his sword back toward Gilder, who parried. They clashed swords again and again, until finally their swords were caught in a lock.

"Give in to the Midas Empire," demanded Gilder, "it is pointless to resist!"

"No way!" exclaimed Tommy, struggling to push his opponent back. Unfortunately, Tommy did not see the Koronoid sneaking up behind him. The Koronoid blasted him in the back, knocking him to the ground. Five more Koronoids flanked around him, but Tommy launched a kick, sending two of them flying back. He leapt to his feet and with a swift slash, Tommy knocked away the other four. He looked around as more Koronoids replaced the fallen ones. No matter how hard he fought, they just kept coming. These drones were more powerful than any he had fought before, and he was hopelessly outnumbered. The way these Koronoids fought, they worked together as a unit. They were like a perfect army, each one making up for the others' errors. Not to mention the added challenge of fighting the vicious General Gilder. As confident as Tommy had felt at the beginning of the battle, his chances of victory were growing thinner and thinner. He felt himself growing more and more exhausted, while the robotic drones seemed fresh as ever.

"Man..." he gasped. "These guys are a lot better than I thought!"

Tommy looked around as the Koronoids he had cut down pulled themselves back to their feet. He took a step back as they advanced, ready for the kill.

"This is the end, interloper!" sneered Gilder. "This world _will_ fall to the Empire!"

In the school parking lot, Kelly and Mark put their bookbags into the trunk of Kelly's car. Before long, Amy came out of the gym's exit door. She jogged toward the car and tossed her backpack and gym bag into the trunk.

"How can you play volleyball as hard as you do and still have so much energy to run?" asked Kelly.

"Playing volleyball gets me pumped!" exclaimed Amy, shooting her fist into the air. The girls both giggled. Mark said nothing, but shifted awkwardly. Kelly noticed this, and smiled warmly.

"It's okay," she assured him. "You can relax. We don't bite."

"_Hard_," added Amy with a laugh. Kelly playfully slapped her.

"Don't mind her," said Kelly. "She thinks she's a comedian."

"Speaking of comedian," said Amy, pointing to the front of the school, where Ray and Josh appeared from around the corner. "There's the hyena boys themselves."

Mark looked to the ground nervously. "I didn't know _they_ were coming," he said quietly.

"They won't bother you," Kelly reassured him. "I promise, if they do, I'll kick them out of the car."

"Josh Kyle doesn't really like me very much."

"I'll deal with Josh if he gives you any trouble," promised Kelly.

Mark nodded. "Thank you."

As Ray and Josh approached the car, Kelly noticed they were empty-handed.

"Forgot your books?" she asked with a smirk.

"Nah," said Josh lazily, "we already stashed them in Ray's jeep."

"Guys, this is Mike," said Kelly, gesturing to her guest.

"_Mark_," he corrected her again.

"Sorry," she said, "_Mark_. Mark, this is Ray, Josh, Amy-"

"I know who all of you are," Mark said.

"No way!" Josh exclaimed, as if he was just seeing Mark for the first time. "You invited the _nerd_!? Nice joke, Kelly."

"It's not a joke," said Kelly defiantly. "And he's not a nerd! _He_, at least, has manners, unlike you! Look, it's _my_ car and _I_ say who gets to come along! If you don't like it, you can get out and walk!"

Josh shrugged and said to Ray, "Man, your girlfriend's scary when she gets fired up!"

Both Ray and Kelly blushed beet red, and Amy chuckled. Kelly slapped her in the arm.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Ray exclaimed. "Shut up and stop acting up!"

"Fine, fine..." Josh sighed, as they all got into the car. Kelly, of course, got into the driver's seat, while Amy took the passenger seat. Josh took the seat behind Amy, and Ray sat behind Kelly, while Mark was in the middle. As they pulled out of the parking lot, Kelly racked her brain to find a topic of conversation.

"So, Mark, did you hear about that new hangout spot opening soon?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied simply.

"Are you going to hang out there?" Kelly tried again, hoping to get more of an answer.

"Depends on what they have," Mark said. "If its all gym and sports and stuff the popular kids are into, then probably not. If they have computers and maybe some video games, that would be pretty cool."

"You really don't like popular kids, do you?" asked Amy. Mark looked over at Josh, then down at his feet and said nothing. Kelly, realizing this conversation had taken an awkward turn, tried to find a new topic.

"So... you like video games?" she tried again. Before Mark could answer, the ground trembled, and Kelly felt the car swerve sharply.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Amy. "What was that, Kelly?"

"I don't know," said Kelly, looking around at the road and surrounding buildings. "Maybe an earthquake? We get those from time to time."

She rounded the corner, but no sooner had she made the turn than something crashed into the front of the car. Kelly slammed on the brakes, causing all three boys in the back to lurch forward, stopped only by their seatbelts.

"Everyone okay?" she asked. Mark and Ray nodded.

Josh rubbed his chest. "Where'd you learn to drive?"

"For the love of God, Josh, shut _up!_" snapped Amy. Kelly got out of the car and examined the front. There was a heap of strange looking metal and wires underneath the bumper. She had never seen anything like it.

"What in the world...?" she gasped.

"Kelly, look out!" shouted Ray. Kelly looked up and found herself face to face with some sort of robot. It was faceless, with gold plating covering it and a strange red gem on its forehead. Before she could react, it grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her to the ground. Kelly quickly jumped back to her feet and saw that more of these robots were appearing. The closest one threw a punch, but Kelly caught it and flipped the robot over her shoulder. She spun away from the two advancing on her and delivered an expertly executed roundhouse kick, sending them to the ground. Two more robots ran up to replace their fallen comrades, but Kelly backflipped away from them.

"Wow!" Mark marveled, watching Kelly's moves. "Where did she learn to fight like that?"

"Her father," Amy said with a smile. "Kelly's dad is one of the most highly skilled martial artists in Angel Grove."

"Let's go help her out," said Ray, hopping out of the car. Josh and Amy followed, but Mark did not move.

"Stay here," Amy said to him. "You'll be safe."

Ray, also a martial artist, jumped in between four of the robots and sent them to the ground with a flurry of punches and kicks. Josh and Amy, meanwhile, were not martial artists, so they were not as adept at fighting. However, they _were_ both athletes, so they used their instincts to dodge and fight off the strange robots as best they could. One of the robots turned towards Mark and the gem on its head began to glow. Ray rushed towards it and tackled it, as a laser fired from its head. The beam missed Mark and grazed the hood of the car.

Mark looked down, feeling ashamed. The others were trying their hardest to fight off these robots, and here he was, waiting in the car like a helpless child. The guilt he felt was infuriating, but he knew he was no fighter. In fact, Mark had never been in a fight in his life. He looked around at the others. Ray launched a flying kick, sending three of the robots to the ground. Amy ducked and weaved through the drones' punches and punched one in the face as hard as she could. However, since its face was covered in gold, it was unfazed. Amy rubbed her knuckles, nursing her aching hand. Josh tackled one of the robots, but it quickly threw him off of it. Kelly gracefully moved in and out around the drones, executing sweeps, kicks, and flips. She launched a high kick at one of the robots, but it grabbed her leg and roughly shoved her backwards, slamming her against the door of her car. Another drone joined it and the two mechanical warriors readied to fire their lasers again. Thinking quickly, Mark jumped out of the car, grabbed one of the drones by the head and pointed it at the other robot. The laser fired and the damaged droid fell to the ground. Kelly took the opportunity and jumped to her feet, kicking away the other one.

"You saved my life!" she exclaimed. "Thanks!"

Mark opened his mouth to reply, but two more robots appeared out of nowhere and grabbed him, throwing him towards the other teens. As they continued to struggle against the robots, none of them noticed the warrior in white a few yards away, also fighting against the robots and their general.

Tommy desperately slashed three more Koronoids away with his sword. He was exhausted, but the robots kept coming back in waves.

"I don't know how much longer I can fight them off!" he gasped.

"_Tommy, hang on!_" his wife pleaded through the commlink. "_I'll try to think of something._"

"One more power left," Tommy decided, looking at his golden morpher. "_It's Morphin' Time! Dragonzord! Green Ranger Power!_"

His body was once again surrounded with light, and when the light cleared, Tommy had transformed into another warrior, clad in green with golden armor. A dragon-shaped design emblazoned his helmet. Without missing a beat, five Koronoids fired their lasers at Tommy. Quickly, he pulled out a dagger, raised it to his mouth, and a tune filled the air. His armor began to glow, and when the lasers hit him, they ricocheted off of the armor and flew back at the Koronoids. The lasers blasted a hole through the robots' chests, and they all collapsed to the ground.

"Well," he sighed, "at least we know _one_ way to take them down!"

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and gasped in horror as he noticed the fight happening mere yards away from him.

"Oh no," he muttered to himself.

"_What is it?_"

"There's a group of kids over there!" Tommy exclaimed. "The robots are attacking them too."

"_WHAT!?_" his wife gasped. "_You have to get them out of there! Be careful, Tommy!_"

Tommy nodded and started to dash towards the teens, but suddenly he felt his leg pulled out from under him. He spun around to find Gilder holding his leg, his sword raised high again.

"You're not going anywhere, human!" he cried victoriously. With his free leg, Tommy kicked Gilder in the face. The general growled in pain as he clutched his face, releasing Tommy's leg.

"Take this!" Tommy shouted, playing a tune on the dagger and then pointing the tip of the blade at the ground. Green sparks began to shoot up from the ground and surrounded Gilder. Seizing this golden opportunity, Tommy dashed toward the teens.

With her arms around its middle, Amy used all of her strength to fling the robot away from her. But no sooner did the droid fly backwards than two more took its place and pinned her against a nearby wall. Ray, meanwhile was using every ounce of his martial arts training he could to keep the robots at bay, but every time he successfully knocked them down, they would just stand back up again and resume their attack. Kelly was also having this problem. Being a gymnast, she was very graceful, but after a while, she had grown tired, her moves becoming more and more sluggish. Josh kept trying anything he could think of to make a dent in the robot's armor. He had tried football tackling two of them, only to have three more pull him off of their comrades. When one fired a laser at him, he had grabbed the lid of a nearby tin trash can and attempted to use it as a shield, but the beam easily blasted a hole right through. Mark was not doing well at all, ducking and dodging as best he could, but he was lanky and awkward, did not have much grace, and knew better than to try to throw a hard punch at the golden plated faces as Amy had done. He tried to avoid the onslaught of attacks, but two of the robots grabbed his arms and hurled him through the air. He crashed hard into the passenger door of Kelly's car. Trying to be considerate, Mark glanced behind him and was grateful to see the door had not been dented. He tried to scramble to his feet, but the drone closest to him shot its foot out and kicked him back to the ground.

Two more robots surrounded Mark and primed their lasers. Quickly, Mark began trying to come up with solutions. _I could try rolling under the car_, he thought, though when he glanced behind him, he saw Josh and Ray fighting off a large group of robots on the other side of the car. The droids prepared to fire, and Mark squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the end. It didn't come, however. A loud metal crash made him jump, and when he peeked open his eyes, Mark saw that the robots that were about to kill him were now gone. He glanced to his left and saw a green and gold blur dashing from drone to drone, wiping them all out easily. The figure finally stopped to reveal...

"A Power Ranger!?" Mark gasped. The green warrior stopped for a moment and slightly turned his head in Mark's direction.

"Get to safety," he ordered. "I'll help out your friends."

Without another word, the Green Ranger returned to the fight. He jumped high in the air and flipped over the car, landing in front of Ray and Josh. The two teen boys were taken aback when they saw their savior.

"Is that-?" Josh stammered, pointing at the Ranger.

"A real Power Ranger!" exclaimed Ray, though he seemed to be having just as much trouble finding words as Josh. "But I thought they were just a legend!"

The Green Ranger did a high spin kick and knocked away one of the robots that had just leaped towards him. Just then, Amy came flying backwards at them, crashing hard into the side of the car. Ray and Josh helped her to her feet. The Green Ranger put himself between them and the droids. He turned his head back in their direction.

"Get out of here!" he exclaimed. "Hurry!"

As Ray and Josh started towards Mark, who was hiding behind a nearby wall, the Green Ranger pulled out his dagger and slashed away one of the attacking robots. Amy followed Ray and Josh, but suddenly the Green Ranger stopped her in her tracks from shock.

"Amy?" he exclaimed.

She spun around. "How do you know my name?"

He did not answer, but gestured towards the boys with his dagger. "Go!"

She joined Ray, Josh, and Mark in the nearby hiding spot.

Kelly, meanwhile, was doing the best she could to hold her own. One of the nearby robots threw a punch, but she caught it and flipped the droid onto its back. Two more charged at her, but she ducked and slipped between them. She backflipped into the air as another droid tried to sweep her legs. Landing behind the robot, she shot a square kick to its back. Two droids grabbed her arms, she flipped both of them, but two more instantly replaced them. The two who had fallen were back to their feet in seconds. The gems upon their heads began to glow as they primed their lasers. Kelly struggled to free her arms, but the robots' grip was too strong. She kicked and thrashed her feet but to no avail. Realizing there was no way out, Kelly closed her eyes and prayed the killing blow wouldn't be too painful...

From the robots' left, a wave of green sparks collided with the mechanical warriors and knocked them away. Kelly opened her eyes and saw the Green Ranger fighting off the robots.

"A Power Ranger!?" she gasped. "A real-life Power Ranger! But...I thought they were just stories!"

While the Ranger's back was turned, the two droids holding Kelly's arms released her and charged at him. But the Power Ranger was ready for them; he swept one's feet and slashed the other with his dagger. He turned back to Kelly.

"Are you all rig-" he froze when he saw her though. "_Kelly_!?"

Her eyes widened. "You know my name?" she gasped.

The frozen Power Ranger was appeared to be so shocked at seeing Kelly that he did not notice the sword coming right at him.

"_Look out!_" Kelly screamed but she wasn't quick enough. Gilder appeared behind the Green Ranger and slashed his sword across the Ranger's back.

"NO!" screamed Kelly as the Ranger fell to his knees and collapsed to the ground. Gilder raised his sword above his head, ready to deliver the kill. With all the strength she could muster, Kelly let out a yell and leapt into the air, launching a hard double drop kick to Gilder's chest. He fell to the ground. Quickly getting back to her feet, Kelly ran up to him and kicked his sword. The sword slid across the pavement a few yards away.

Gilder rose to his feet and retrieved his sword. "You have just made a dangerous enemy!" he roared. "The Midas Empire will remember this travesty, girl!"

He and the robots disappeared in a flash of light. Kelly breathed a sigh of relief and rushed to the Green Ranger's side. The other teens emerged from their hiding spot.

"Is he okay?" asked Amy.

"I don't know," Kelly said. "Here, help me turn him over. We need to get his helmet off so he can breathe easier!"

Ray rushed over and helped her move the Ranger. Josh gripped the Ranger's helmet and pulled, but the helmet would not come off. Kelly held up her hand to stop Josh and examined the helmet, looking for some way to remove it. Suddenly, she noticed a small buckled latch on the side of the helmet. Before she could undo it, however, the Green Ranger's body was suddenly enveloped in a bright light. Josh and Ray jumped back, Kelly covered her eyes. When the light faded, the Ranger suit was gone. A man lay where he had been. He looked to be in his forties, his dark brown hair cropped short and spiky. He wore a green jacket with a black T-shirt and blue jeans.

"Kelly, _look!_" gasped Amy. Kelly, still squinting from the light, opened her eyes and looked upon the face of their savior. Her eyes widened, her heart felt like it had jumped into her throat as her body trembled in shock.

"_Dad!?_"

TO BE CONTINUED...


End file.
